*Editor’s note: This information was published in the April 2021 issue of Heartfelt Magazine, CHM’s monthly magazine that provides CHM membership-related tips and tricks, medical advice from doctors, testimonies from CHM members, and more. Please refer to the CHM Guidelines and applicable web pages for the most up-to-date information regarding CHM membership, sharing eligibility, and ministry news.*
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
—1 Corinthians 10:31 (CSB)
Spring is coming, which means it’s a great time to consider spring cleaning your diet and cutting back on unwholesome foods.
As followers of Christ, we’re called to do everything—including eating and drinking—to the glory of God. Just as a believer’s heart and soul need the good words of the Bible as nourishment, our bodies need to be well-nourished.
According to a 2018 study by the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, over 60 percent of calories consumed by Americans were from ultra-processed foods. Many ultra-processed foods contain little or none of the necessary nutrients needed for a balanced, healthy diet.
Foods that contain the nutrients your body needs to thrive
Scientists recently studied 100 foods, assigning each a nutritional score. According to their conclusions, the higher the score, the more likely a food is to meet your daily nutritional needs.
By eating a variety of the 100 most nourishing foods on a regular basis, you can be sure you’re getting the vitamins and minerals the human body needs to thrive, without requiring added vitamins and supplements.
100 healthy food options and their respective scores:
- Sweet potato (nutritional score: 49)
- Figs (nutritional score: 49)
- Ginger (nutritional score: 49)
- Pumpkin (nutritional score: 50)
- Burdock root (nutritional score: 50)
- Brussels sprouts (nutritional score: 50)
- Broccoli (nutritional score: 50)
- Cauliflower (nutritional score: 50)
- Water chestnuts (nutritional score: 50)
- Cantaloupe melons (nutritional score: 50)
- Prunes (nutritional score: 50)
- Common octopus (nutritional score: 50)
- Carrots (nutritional score: 51)
- Winter squash (nutritional score: 51)
- Jalapeno peppers (nutritional score: 51)
- Rhubarb (nutritional score: 51)
- Pomegranates (nutritional score: 51)
- Red currants (nutritional score: 51)
- Oranges (nutritional score: 51)
- Carp (nutritional score: 51)
- Hubbard squash (nutritional score: 52)
- Kumquats (nutritional score: 52)
- Pompano (nutritional score: 52)
- Pink salmon (nutritional score: 52)
- Sour cherries (nutritional score: 53)
- Rainbow trout (nutritional score: 53)
- Perch (nutritional score: 53)
- Green beans (nutritional score: 54)
- Red leaf lettuce (nutritional score: 54)
- Leeks (nutritional score: 54)
- Cayenne pepper (nutritional score: 54)
- Green kiwifruit (nutritional score: 54)
- Golden kiwifruit (nutritional score: 54)
- Grapefruit (nutritional score: 54)
- Mackerel (nutritional score: 54)
- Sockeye salmon (nutritional score: 54)
- Arugula (nutritional score: 55)
- Chives (nutritional score: 55)
- Paprika (nutritional score: 55)
- Red tomatoes (nutritional score: 56)
- Green tomatoes (nutritional score: 56)
- Green lettuce (nutritional score: 56)
- Taro leaves (nutritional score: 56)
- Lima beans (nutritional score: 56)
- Eel (nutritional score: 56)
- Bluefin tuna (nutritional score: 56)
- Coho salmon (nutritional score: 56)
- Summer squash (nutritional score: 56)
- Navy beans (nutritional score: 57)
- Plantain (nutritional score: 57)
- Podded peas (nutritional score: 58)
- Cowpeas (nutritional score: 58)
- Butter lettuce (nutritional score: 58)
- Red cherries (nutritional score: 58)
- Walnuts (nutritional score: 58)
- Fresh spinach (nutritional score: 59)
- Parsley (nutritional score: 59)
- Herring (nutritional score: 59)
- Sea bass (nutritional score: 59)
- Chinese cabbage (nutritional score: 60)
- Cress (nutritional score: 60)
- Apricots (nutritional score: 60)
- Fish roe (nutritional score: 60)
- Whitefish (nutritional score: 60)
- Coriander (nutritional score: 61)
- Romaine lettuce (nutritional score: 61)
- Mustard leaves (nutritional score: 61)
- Atlantic cod (nutritional score: 61)
- Whiting (nutritional score: 61)
- Kale (nutritional score: 62)
- Broccoli raab (nutritional score: 62)
- Chili peppers (nutritional score: 62)
- Clams (nutritional score: 62)
- Collards (nutritional score: 63)
- Basil (nutritional score: 63)
- Chili powder (nutritional score: 63)
- Frozen spinach (nutritional score: 64)
- Dandelion greens (nutritional score: 64)
- Pink grapefruit (nutritional score: 64)
- Scallops (nutritional score: 64)
- Pacific cod (nutritional score: 64)
- Red cabbage (nutritional score: 65)
- Green onion (nutritional score: 65)
- Alaska pollock (nutritional score: 65)
- Pike (nutritional score: 65)
- Green peas (nutritional score: 67)
- Tangerines (nutritional score: 67)
- Watercress (nutritional score: 68)
- Celery flakes (nutritional score: 68)
- Dried parsley (nutritional score: 69)
- Snapper (nutritional score: 69)
- Beet greens (nutritional score: 70)
- Pork fat (nutritional score: 73)
- Swiss chard (nutritional score: 78)
- Pumpkin seeds (nutritional score: 84)
- Chia seeds (nutritional score: 85)
- Flatfish (nutritional score: 88)
- Ocean perch (nutritional score: 89)
- Cherimoya (nutritional score: 96)
- Almonds (nutritional score: 97)
If you haven’t heard of one of the items on the list, don’t be intimidated! Start with something you’re familiar with or that you can easily work into your meal plan as you reorient your diet and spring into clean eating.
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